Most Things Haven't Worked Out

Junior Kimbrough | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: September 23, 1997
• Label: Fat Possum
• Copyright: 1997 Fat Possum Records
• Genres: Blues/Delta Blues, Blues/Electric Blues Guitar, Blues/Modern Blues
• ASIN: B0011YQTKY
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Caustic Delta sludge of the highest caliber..., March 17, 1999

By 

Derek Taylor (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Most Things Haven't Worked Out (Audio CD)

This is the genuine article and proof of why the blues is about raw emotive force over virtuosic instrumental prowess...there are plenty of cats that can play better than Kimbrough, but a paltry few who can belt out fuzzed-out gutbucket licks with such ferocity and authority...The man was a fixture for decades at his own Mississippi juke joint and on this release you can almost smell the stale cigarette smoke, cheap whiskey & greasy fatback barbecue odors that must have permeated the place. The tracks are lengthy excursions into crude funk-inflected boogie rhythms with Junior's raspy garbled vocals periodically bubbling to the top of the rough gumbo groove. If you like your blues abrasive and painfully honest look no farther than Kimbrough & crew. As a side note, I was surprised to see a lack of reviews under this & Kimbrough's other releases while his compatriot R.L. Burnside has quite a few...not to knock Burnside, but Kimbrough is every bit his equal; do your ears & rump a favor & check him out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best look into Juniors word that we'll probably ever get, July 4, 2004

By 

N. Langston (Sarasota, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Most Things Haven't Worked Out (Audio CD)

Thia album was recorded in the last few months of his life. By this time Junior had been exposed to rock music, and his rythems had become harder edged as a result. This album is'nt as produced as some of his other CDs (not that any of them were over-produced), with three trackes taken live from his Juke joint. This CD is the probably the best window to Juniors world that we can get (that is Minus all the echo and Bad recording quality).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars hypnotic and claustrophobic, August 20, 2007

By 

almosthappy (San Diego, CA, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Most Things Haven't Worked Out (Audio CD)

I have come across this late bluesman only recently. But this record is already by far one of the finest blues records I have come across in years. The strength of Mr. Kimbrough's brand of blues comes mostly from his skillful manipulations of guitar. His guitar playing is well layered: a robust baseline that's droning and hypnotic, a solid and spacey mid-range filled with riffs that are saturated in reverbs and unexpected syncopations, and claustrophobic solos in upper registers with missing/unreachable high notes. Kimbrough's blues is raw, authentic, and even evokes the timing and melodic sensibilities of some contemporary Western African music, such as that of Ali Farka and Boubacar Traore. There is an ever-present yearning in his music, which is especially moving in the context of his hypnotic and claustrophobic sound scape. Certain tracks on this record are a little too over-produced for my taste, on which the real treasure - Kimborough's guitar-playing - are somewhat overshadowed. But overall this is still a damn fine blues record! Wholeheartedly recommended!